The Night Sky
Prologue: A Two-for-One Deal Princess Scarlet crept down the dark, gold-paved corridor, staying close to the shadows that the few still-lit torches cast. She wasn't sure why she was sneaking, since most of the Sky Palace was already asleep. She just felt like she wouldn't get to the hatchery without sneaking there. It was going to happen tonight. Scarlet could feel it. She had always wondered about that egg. It was huge, the biggest egg she had ever seen, with a mysterious silvery-orange shell. It had shown up in the hatchery about a year ago, without a trace of its parents. No one stepped forward to claim it as their own, and no one recognized it from anywhere. Scarlet's curiosity had gotten the better of her over the past year. Almost every day, she found herself in the hatchery, staring at that egg for what seemed like hours. As a princess, she was allowed to go pretty much everywhere in the palace, so the guards couldn't stop her from going into the hatchery. But she wasn't stupid. She knew that the hatchery guards gave her odd looks behind her back. She always noticed her mother, Queen Peregrine, rolling her eyes whenever Scarlet asked about the egg. And, of course, she knew that her older sisters teased her about her so-called "obsession" with it. Scarlet peeked around a corner. The hatchery was at the end of the next hallway, with two guards positioned outside of the door. Drat. The guards were Condor and Osprey, two of the most diligent, defensive guards in the palace. They were wide-awake, their spears crossed over the door, glaring down the hall at a non-existent enemy. Quietly sighing in defeat, Scarlet pulled her head back around the corner. She weighed the options. On their side: two full-grown SkyWing guards who would most likely convince her mother to permanently ban her from the hatchery. On her side: a single 4-year-old SkyWing, the youngest, smallest, and weakest of the royal daughters. She didn't stand a chance. Scarlet turned around and started walking back to the room she shared with her sisters. She could just imagine the scenario. Her, walking in with her head hanging. Her sisters, laughing at her. Alexandrite sarcastically asking, "So, did your massive egg hatch yet?" Topaz replying, "Of course not! Someone finally decided to smash that thing!" And Spinel, laughing too hard to talk. ---- As she passed by a window, Scarlet froze. For a few tense seconds, she just stood there, trying to figure out if that was the sound of her own footsteps echoing off the walls...or not. Then she heard it again, clearly this time. The footsteps of multiple dragons, coming down the hall towards her. And voices. "This was a great plan," said a voice that Scarlet instantly recognized as Spinel's. "Getting Scarlet busted is gonna be the highlight of my life." "Well, some credit should go to Topaz," came Alexandrite's voice. "If she hadn't spotted that orange twerp sneaking out, I never would've come up with this." "And if Scarlet hadn't tripped over my scroll rack, I never would've spotted her sneaking out," said Topaz. Aw, avalanches, thought Scarlet, looking around wildly for a hiding spot. No tables to crawl under; no piles of gold to creep behind; no other rooms to run into. That left just one option. The window. Scarlet quickly jumped through the window. She dug her claws into the wall beneath it and hung on, staying as quiet as possible. "So, do you think Scarlet's made it to the hatchery yet?" Topaz asked. "Of course not," scoffed Alexandrite. "She's a shrimp. Sure, she had a head start, but she's got tiny legs. Good thing we know about that shortcut, and that Condor and Osprey are on guard tonight." "How is it good that Condor and Osprey are guarding tonight?" asked Spinel. It sounded like they were right outside the window now. "Well, those two thugs only listen to me and Mom," Alexandrite said slyly. "All I gotta do is tell them to let us in. They'll do so, and we can proceed with phase two once we get our claws on Scarlet's precious egg." Scarlet strained to listen. But it was no good. They were gone. "Phase two?" Scarlet repeated very quietly. "What to those three have planned? How does it involve busting me? And what do they want the egg for?" She slowly unhinged her claws from the wall, beating her wings to keep herself from falling. I have to get to the hatchery before them, she thought. I have to save that egg. ---- Scarlet cautiously flapped through the only hatchery window that was big enough for her to fit through. No sight of her sisters. The egg was still in its nest. Ok, Scarlet, she thought to herself as she landed. You can do this. She first ran over to an empty nest next to the door. First of all, I've gotta keep them from getting in here, she thought, slowly pushing the nest in front of the door. Next, she headed over to the egg. A few cracks were already visible in the shell. Secondly, I need to get this out of here, she thought. If they still manage to get in here, I have to get this away from them. I have to get THEM away from them. She was certain now. The egg had not one but TWO dragonets inside. And she was going to save both of them. Scarlet picked up the egg. Since it was nearly as big as her, she needed both of her talons to hold it. "Hey, what are you doin' here?" said a deep, booming voice. For a horrifying moment, Scarlet thought it was talking to her, before she heard Alexandrite say, "Condor, we have to get into the hatchery." "Why?" Osprey asked suspiciously. "Official princess business," said Topaz. "What KIND of 'official princess business'?" Osprey asked. Scarlet rolled her eyes. Her sisters had apparently forgotten that Osprey was one of the most stubborn guards in the palace. Gripping the egg tightly, she launched herself into the air and flew out of the window. "You're going to be okay," she whispered to the egg. "You both will." ---- Scarlet glanced around nervously. She had left the hatchery far behind, but she was still worried that someone had followed her. The egg was sitting at her talons, in a makeshift nest made out of dead leaves. More cracks had developed during the flight. What will you two be like? she thought, stroking the egg softly. As if to answer her question, another crack split the shell. Scarlet gasped softly. The egg was hatching. And she was getting to witness it. A black claw broke through the shell, then retreated back into the egg. For a second, Scarlet thought she glimpsed a pleading, neon green eye through the hole left by the claw. "D-do you need help?" she asked the egg. "Am I supposed to help you get out?" She had never seen a hatching before, so she didn't know what to do. A maroon tail burst out of the egg. It was followed by a very dark red talon, then a very dark red wing. Another talon, this one maroon, broke the shell. Scarlet's heart was pounding. What do I do? Should I help them get out? Should I let them hatch on their own? The egg finally shattered, cutting off Scarlet's train of thought and causing her to slam her eyes shut as a natural reaction. After a short while, Scarlet opened her eyes. Two tiny dragonets were sitting where the egg used to be; one male, and the other female. The male dragonet had very dark red scales, black claws, horns, and spikes, and dark purple underscales and wing membranes. Tiny, white spots were scattered over his wing membranes, and his eyes were neon green. At the corner of each of his eyes was a silver, teardrop-shaped scale. The female dragonet had maroon scales, dark orange claws and spikes, and black horns, underscales, and wing membranes. Like her brother, she had tiny white spots scattered over her wing membranes, and silver teardrop-shaped scales at the corner of each of her eyes; her left eye was red, while her right one was blue. They were hybrids. SkyWing/NightWing hybrids. "Welcome to the world, little ones," Scarlet said softly. The dragonets stared up at her. "Rrawrk?" the male said, cocking his head to one side. "My name's Scarlet." "Scrraw?" said the female dragonet. "Eh, close enough," said Scarlet. "So, what are your names?" "Nraw?" "Oh, that's right, you don't have names yet." She shrugged. "I guess I'll name you." She studied the male dragonet closely. "Well, since you're a SkyWing/NightWing hybrid, I guess I should give you a NightWing-ish name, and your sister a SkyWing-ish name," she said to him. "How about......Scorn?" "Scaw! Scaw!" exclaimed the dragonet. "Okay, so, your name's Scorn now." Scarlet turned her attention to Scorn's sister. "Your scales look sort of like this one gemstone that I found in a cave," she said. "I think it was called a garnet." "Garrr!" said the dragonet. "Ah, so you want to be named Garnet. Good, I like it." She looked at the twin hybrids proudly. They were gazing up at the sky, or, more specifically, at the one full moon. Scorn and Garnet, she thought, smiling. I don't know what my sisters wanted to do with them, but it doesn't matter now. She joined the two newly-hatched dragonets in looking up at the full moon. For the first time that night, her mind was at peace, her body was relaxed, and she knew that what she had accomplished was a great thing. If my sisters still want them, they'll have to fight me for them. Scorn and Garnet are ''my ''dragonets now, and I'm not gonna let anyone hurt them. Part One: Sticks and Stones Chapter One: New Day, New School One year later...... The sky was as blue as a sky could be, cloudless and infinite and open. Scorn took a deep breath as he launched himself into the air. Grinning brightly, he climbed higher and higher, eager to be out in the open. Scarlet had finally brought them into the palace about a month ago, but Scorn still couldn't believe it. No more hiding! No more living in fear! No more long, lonely days in their little cave hideout! Freedom, open sky, a whole kingdom to explore, lots of dragons to make friends with! There were only two major problems. One: most, if not all, of the palace hated him. He could see it in their minds. His NightWing DNA had "tarnished the blood of the SkyWings, the greatest and most powerful of the tribes". Scorn might have only been a year old, but he knew that SkyWings weren't exactly the best or the strongest tribe. Not that it was the NightWings, either. Sure, the night dragons had mind-reading and prophetic powers, but Scorn believed that all the tribes were pretty much equal in strength and awesomeness. The second problem was his mind-reading. Not that he didn't like it or anything; it was an awesome power. But without any other NightWings around to teach him, Scorn had no control over it. When he first entered the Sky Palace, the amount of thoughts that slammed into his head all at once nearly made him break down completely. He tried blocking the thoughts, maybe by bringing up a mental shield like the one Garnet used on a regular basis, but it didn't help. At all. Scorn stopped suddenly, shaking his head. "Now is not the time to think about the past," he told himself. "Now is the time to make like Garnet and be all about the future." "And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?" asked a voice from right behind him. "GAH!" exclaimed Scorn, barreling forward and almost falling out of the sky. "MUST you scare me to death like that?" he snapped, noticing that the new dragon was his twin sister. "Actually, yes," Garnet replied. "It's hilarious." Growling and grinning at the same time, Scorn promptly lunged toward his sister. At the last second, Garnet barrel-rolled out of the way. "I knew you were gonna do that!" she teased. "Don't try to trick a seer, 'cuz the seer's just gonna see it coming!" "Well, did you see THIS coming?!?" said Scorn, this time succeeding in tackling her. Laughing, Garnet squirmed to get away, but Scorn had her trapped in his grip. "I AM SCORNICUS, DESTROYER OF PLANETS!" Scorn said in a deep, overdramatic voice. "YOU DARE THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?" "I quadruple dare!" said Garnet, finally managing to escape her brother's grasp. "For I am Garnet the Great, hero of the Sky Kingdom! I will end your reign of terror as sure as the SeaWings have gills!" "FOOLISH GARNET THE GREAT!" Scorn bellowed. "THIS BATTLE SHALL BE QUICK AND EASY! FOR ME! HAHAHAHAHA!" ---- About an hour into the "battle" between the two hybrids, an orange SkyWing dragonet flew up to them. "Now, you two, what have I told you about fighting?" Scarlet asked the twins. "Um......only do it when it's completely necessary?" Scorn tried. "Well, yes, but I'm referring to the ongoing conflicts between Scornicus and Garnet the Great." "Oh yeah! 'Never do it in the air!' That's the rule, right?" Scarlet smiled proudly, nodding at Garnet. "Yes! Besides, on a day like today, your super-powered alter-egos don't have time to fight." "Wait, wait, back up," said Scorn, following the princess into her descent. "What do you mean by 'a day like today'?" Surprised, Scarlet looked at him. "You mean you've forgotten?" asked Garnet, swooping down beside him. "Uh, DUH! I wouldn't be asking if I REMEMBERED, now would I?" "Today's the day that you're both going to school," said Scarlet. "You'll get to learn things with other dragonets, just like you!" Well, not EXACTLY like you, she thought. "Oh yeahhhh, NOW I remember!" exclaimed Scorn. "Now I remember why I was so hyped up this morning! Hey, Garnet, do we make any new friends today?" Garnet rolled her eyes. "Scorn, my future-vision is a very strong power," she said stoically. "It has to be taken seriously, or else I won't be able to control it. I should only use it to make sure that we avoid any big, horrible disasters which end up killing off half to all the population of Pyrrhia. By the way, remember to talk Eagle out of putting a fake viper in Spinel's bed." Scorn blinked in surprise. "Eagle? Who's Eagle?" "Just a friend that you'll make in school today," Garnet replied. "He'll ask to borrow a paintbrush in art class, you'll give him one, he'll compliment your painting, you'll compliment his. Long story short, you guys become best friends and make a collaboration painting together. You become his voice of reason and talk him out of doing crazy slash stupid things, such as putting a fake viper in Spinel's bed." "Garnet, you literally JUST went through a mini-lecture explaining why you should only use your prophetic powers to avoid big, horrible disasters that end up killing off half to all the population of Pyrrhia. WHY would you just tell me about Eagle if he has nothing to do with a big, horrible disaster?" "Just 'cuz it's a serious power doesn't mean I have to take it seriously ALL the time." ---- The Sky Palace school was a large tower on the northeastern side of the palace. The outside landing pad was decorated with a large, gold-paved sun and tall trees of several different varieties. SkyWing dragonets of all ages flocked around the tower, flying in and out of the windows, swapping notes, laughing and playfully shoving each other. Scorn pressed a talon to his temples, bracing himself for the massive headache that he knew was coming to him. They were still a while away from the school, but with that many dragons in one place, his brain would be close to imploding by noon. "You sure that you'll be able to handle that many minds at once, Scorn?" Garnet asked him. "I can see several futures where you have a meltdown in the middle of class and gain a reputation as the hybrid with a shaky sanity. They even name you 'Breakdown Hybrid', which is both cool and mean, sort of." "Yeah, I'll be fine," replied Scorn. "Maybe. Besides, if I pull through this, I'll get a new friend by the end of the day." "Probably three new friends, if Peak and Skyscraper meet you as well." "Garnet, don't you want to get new friends?" Scarlet asked. "Eh, maybe," said Garnet, shrugging. "I'd really rather just prefer to be left alone and focus more on my education." The three dragons swooped down onto the landing pad, sitting in the shade of a large pine tree. Scorn groaned in agony as the thoughts of what seemed like a hundred dragonets stampeded into his mind. Oh nooo, I forgot the big history test was today! Wonder where Falcon is? Hey, is that dragon over there looking at me? Ooooh, I think he likes me! Should I go over and talk to him? One dragonet in particular caught Scorn's eye. A dark red SkyWing, about three years old, was sitting on the other side of the landing pad, glaring at him and Garnet. So, those are the hybrids? she thought. Hmm. The female's definitely focused on getting a good education. She'll become one of those weak, spineless nerds that it's easy to swipe notes from. The male wants to make friends and get a huge social life. He'll become one of those dumb klutzes who tries to put up a fight, but fails miserably every single time. Better tell Forge and the gang. Then, seeming pleased with herself, she stood up and prowled into the school. What was that about? Scorn thought, noticing that other dragonets were scrambling to get out of the SkyWing's way. "Hey, Garnet," he whispered, elbowing his sister. "What's up?" asked Garnet. "See that dragonet right there?" He pointed to the dark red SkyWing, who had paused to bat a butterfly out of the air. "Yeah. What about her?" "She was thinking about us," explained Scorn. "She assumed that you're gonna become a 'weak, spineless nerd' and that I'll become a 'dumb klutz with a huge social life'. Then she reminded herself to tell 'Forge and the gang'. Can you see any futures with her in them?" "Hold on," Garnet said, closing her eyes. After a minute, she said, "Her name's Avalanche. She's one of the school bullies, along with her friends Updraft, Coal, Hawk, and her boyfriend Forge. Forge caught word of us, and since he picks on every SkyWing who's different from everyone else, he told his gang that we'll be their next targets." "Better stay away from them, then," said Scarlet. "I've had to deal with bullies since I hatched, and if I could describe 'em with one word, it would be...frustrating." "Wait, don't you have to go to school here?" Garnet asked. "For the first four years, yes," Scarlet explained. "But once a SkyWing princess turns five, the queen gives her private sessions on how to rule the kingdom if she becomes the next queen. Ironic, ain't it?" "I'll say!" said an unfamiliar voice. A SkyWing dragonet poked his head out from behind the tree, earning a yelp from Scorn, Garnet and Scarlet. The dragonet was about a year old and had yellowish-orange scales, bright red underscales and wing membranes, copper-colored eyes, and dark red horns, claws, and spikes. He was wearing a black necklace with a single, oval-shaped ruby dangling from it, as well as a black leather pouch around his ankle. "I'm Skyscraper," said the dragonet, making a fist and holding it in the air. Scorn and Garnet exchanged confused glances at the strange action. Skyscraper blinked in confusion. Haven't they ever fist bumped before? he thought. "Uh, this is a fist bump," he said. "It's something that friends do. You gotta, uh, make a fist and bump it with mine, and then we'll, uh, be friends." Exchanging confused glances again, Scorn and Garnet made fists and bumped each of them against Skyscraper's. "So, Scorn and Garnet, right?" "Yeah! How'd ya know?" "Well, news generally spreads like wildfire in this school. 'Specially if the news is about two SkyWing/NightWing hybrids that the youngest SkyWing princess has been secretly raising for the past year. Speakin' of which..." He looked around nervously, then leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Do you BOTH have mind-reading and prophecy powers?" "Not really," whispered Scorn, shrugging. "See, I have mind-reading powers, and Garnet can see the future. Not sure why we don't both have the same powers, but hey, whatever." "Can you do us a favor and NOT tell anyone?" asked Garnet. "There are a bunch of futures where bad things happen if too many dragons know about our powers." Skyscraper grinned, pretending to wrap invisible chains around his snout. "Your secret's safe with me." Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon) Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Content (MewtwoLucario)